Multiple electrical-connection terminal strip



May 19, 1964 w. H. SEAVER 3,

ULTIPLE ELECTRICAL-CONNECTION TERMINAL STRIP Filed Feb. 1, 1962 INVENTOR WI LLIAMHSEAVER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,133,778 MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL-CONNECTION TERMINAL STRIP William H. Seaver, Natick, Mass, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Artisan Electronics Corporation, Morristown, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey iled Feb. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 170,326

2 Claims. (Cl. 339220) The present invention relates to multiple electricalconnection terminal strips and, more particularly, to metallic or otherwise conductive (hereinafter sometimes referred to as metal or metallic) electrical receptacles secured to insulation boards for permitting the ready insertion or other connection of multiple electrical components or conductors thereto.

The art is replete with many different types of binding posts or electrical terminals for enabling conductors or electrical components to be readily attached to or removed from the same in order respectively to establish or break electrical connection therewith. Among such devices are resilient plugs of various configurations and screw-operated parts secured to insulation boards or strips. The cost, the practical limitation upon the number of possible electrical connections, and the relative complexity of such devices, however, render them particularly unsuited for use in many electrical kits, instructional or toy equipments, and in other similar applications where the essence of simplicity and the lowest possible cost with extreme reliability are of prime importance. Despite the vast history of the electrical connector art, manufacturers of such equipments above-enumerated, are still seeking a multiple electrical-connection terminal strip of the above-described character; and, until the advent of the present invention, have had to content themselves with single eyelets or similar devices with solder connections thereto and with provisions for multiple connections established in the conductors or components external to the terminal strip, such as with the aid of alligator clips and related external clamping mechanisms.

An object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide a new and improved multiple electrical-connection terminal strip that is not subject to the previously explained disadvantages, but that, to the contrary, provides in a unitary terminal structure, a low-cost and simple construction that in itself is adapted to provide for many multiple electrical connections thereto and to enable ready connection and disconnection of multiple electrical components or conductors to and from the same.

A further object is to provide such a multiplev connector that is void of moving parts and that is particularly adapted for use in printed circuit boards and the like.

Still a further object is to provide an improved electrical connector or terminal device of more general utility, also.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter and will be more particularly pointed out in connection with the appended claims.

In summary, however, when considered from one of its broadest aspects, the invention involves an electrical connector system having, in combination, a pair of substantially parallel conductive tubular members each having peripheral flanges about their opposite ends and a resilient conductive strip interconnecting adjacent peripheral flange regions of the members at one end thereof and maintaining the members in fixed separated relationship. A rigid insulating sheet of thickness corresponding to the length of the tubular members and provided with a pair of spaced apertures therein receives the pair of tubular members with the peripheral end flanges thereof locking the members within the apertures, and an electrical conductor is disposed between the portion of the rigid insulating sheet adjacent the said resilient conductive strip and the said strip and is clamped against the sheet by the resilient action of the said strip. Preferred constructional details are hereinafter set forth.

The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, FIG. 1 of which is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a modification.

The electrical-connector terminal of the invention is shown comprising a pair of tubular conductive members 1 and 1' each of which is fitted through a corresponding hole or aperture 2, 2, of slightly greater cross-section (or diameter, in the case of substantially circular crosssection-members 1 and 1) in a rigid insulating board or substantially planar sheet 3, as of fiberboard or Bakelite and the like, extending from one face, shown as the lower surface 3', to the opposite face, illustrated as the upper surface 3". The assembled tubular members 1 and 1' are of length corresponding to the sheet thickness and are provided at their opposite ends with peripheral flanges 5, 5' and 7, '7' for overlying the end-openings of the apertures 2 and 2' and locking the members therein and to the insulating sheet surfaces 3" and 3. The flanges 5 and 5 are preferably formed after the members 1 and 1 are inserted into the openings 2 and 2' in the insulation board or sheet 3.

Interconnecting adjacent peripheral regions of the flanges 7 and 7' of the lower end of the tubular members 1 and 1' is an integral connecting strip 9 the width of which, for purposes later explained, is a substantial portion of the cross-dimension of the tubular members 1 and 1', shown as substantially equal to the inner diameter thereof, and maintains the said members in fixed separated substantially parallel relationship. The strip 9, in accordance with the invention, is of resilient conductive material in order to enable clamping of conductors, such as 11, FIG. I, inserted between the strip 9 and the surface 3' of the insulating board 3, against the more rigid board surface 3. By this construction, strong mechanical and reliable electrical contact over the appreciable width of the strip 9 is established; the latter of which may, if desired, though not essentially, be supplemented by a solder connection.

If, for example, the complete unitary structure 11'9 is made of resilient sheet metal, the insertion or pluggingin of electrical wires of appropriate diameter or the terminal conductors of electrical components within the tubular members 1 and 1', as for example, from the front ends at surface 3", will thus permit the ready and facile establishment of multiple electrical connection with or disconnection from the conductor 11.

Facilities for still additional connections may be effect ed by inserting a similar connector terminal II with its conductive strip 9 resiliently clamped between the strip 9 of the first connector I and the board 3, FIG. 2; and still further connector terminals may also be so inserted to provide for a large number of multiple connection facilities, with minimal cost and complexity. One or more further common conductors, such as the conductor 11 of FIG. 1, may also be so inserted under the first connector I or under the second connector II of FIG. 2, if desired.

Further modifications, including the integral adding of third, fourth or further tubular members to the device, interconnected by strip portions 9, will also occur to those skilled in the art and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector system for providing, at an exposed upper surface of a rigid insulating sheet of printed circuit board, releasable multiple electrical connections I it to an electrical conductor at the lower surface of the sheet, comprising, in combination with said sheet, a terminal strip device having a pair of substantially parallel sheetmetal conductive tubular members each with peripheral flanges about their opposite ends, and having a resilient sheet-metal conductive strip integral with and interconnecting adjacent peripheral flange regions of the members at one end thereof and maintaining the members in fixed separated relationship, said upper and lower surfaces of said insulating sheet being fiat, said insulating sheet having a thickness corresponding substantially to the length of the tubular members and having a pair of spaced apertures therein receiving the pair of tubular members with the peripheral end flanges thereof locking the members within the apertures and with said conductive strip juxtaposed with said lower surface, said electrical conductor being disposed between said resilient conductive strip and the overlying portion of the lower surface of said insulating sheet and being clamped against the lower surface of the sheet by the resilient action of said conductive strip, said tubular members constituting conductive receptacles in said insulating sheet for receiving plug-in electrical conductors inserted in said receptacles at the upper surface of said sheet to establish releasable multiple connections with the first-mentioned conductor at the lower surface of said sheet.

2. The connector system of claim 1, the first-mentioned conductor being a conductive strip having a tubular member integral therewith at each end thereof and extending away from the lower surface of said insulating sheet to receive additional plug-in electrical conductors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,215,004 Decker Feb. 6, 1917 1,557,248 Gernsback Oct. 13, 1925 2,131,581 Catron et al. Sept. 27, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 645,795 Great Britain Nov. 8, 1950 756,719 Great Britain Sept. 5, 1956 592,626 Canada Feb. 16, 1960 97,856 Norway Feb. 11, 1961 

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING, AT AN EXPOSED UPPER SURFACE OF A RIGID INSULATING SHEET OF PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD, RELEASABLE MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS TO AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR AT THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE SHEET, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION WITH SAID SHEET, A TERMINAL STRIP DEVICE HAVING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SHEETMETAL CONDUCTIVE TUBULAR MEMBERS EACH WITH PERIPHERAL FLANGES ABOUT THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS, AND HAVING A RESILIENT SHEET-METAL CONDUCTIVE STRIP INTEGRAL WITH AND INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT PERIPHERAL FLANGE REGIONS OF THE MEMBERS AT ONE END THEREOF AND MAINTAINING THE MEMBERS IN FIXED SEPARATED RELATIONSHIP, SAID UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES OF SAID INSULATING SHEET BEING FLAT, SAID INSULATING SHEET HAVING A THICKNESS CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE LENGTH OF THE TUBULAR MEMBERS AND HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED APERTURES THEREIN RECEIVING THE PAIR OF TUBULAR MEMBERS WITH THE PERIPHERAL END FLANGES THEREOF LOCKING THE MEMBERS WITHIN THE APERTURES AND WITH SAID CONDUCTIVE STRIP JUXTAPOSED WITH SAID LOWER SURFACE, SAID ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID RESILIENT CONDUCTIVE STRIP AND THE OVERLYING PORTION OF THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID INSULATING SHEET AND BEING CLAMPED AGAINST THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE SHEET BY THE RESILIENT ACTION OF SAID CONDUCTIVE STRIP, SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS CONSTITUTING CONDUCTIVE RECEPTACLES IN SAID INSULATING SHEET FOR RECEIVING PLUG-IN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS INSERTED IN SAID RECEPTACLES AT THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID SHEET TO ESTABLISH RELEASABLE MULTIPLE CONNECTIONS WITH THE FIRST-MENTIONED CONDUCTOR AT THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID SHEET. 